About Keizer Community Foundation

Meet Our Board Members

Audrey Butler

President

Hello, my name is Audrey. I am a wife, a mom of two grown children, a Sales Director with Mary Kay Cosmetics and a community volunteer!

As a Past President of the Chamber of Commerce, I am passionate about service in our community.
My eyes have been opened to the needs of Keizer, my focus being with the less fortunate children in our community.
The Kloset program fits our mission for the foundation and we are actively serving 10 Keizer Schools.
Children will not go hungry or without jackets or shoes; we are determined to help schools with this need!

I am honored to serve on this foundation board.
I work with amazing, selfless people; all who have served Keizer in many ways, and are recipients of well deserved outstanding merit!
Together, we make Keizer better!

The Klosets numbers for first quarter 2024

Fernando Lopez

Vice President

Hi all, I am Fernando Lopez. I am among all things, a proud husband and father of 2 beautiful children. Born in California and spending most of my youth there and in Mexico, I came to beautiful Oregon at the age of 12, spending the last 6 years in Keizer and loving it. The who I am, brings me to the why I am here, with The Keizer Community Foundation. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to be here and make a difference for the betterment of our community. I have seen firsthand and felt the struggle of needing a helping hand, and that motivates me to help as much and often as possible. Together we can achieve great things.

Mary Bauer Opra

Treasurer

Mary is the treasurer of the Keizer Community Foundation & has served in various volunteer roles including, President of the Keizer Chamber of Commerce, Board member on the Oregon State University Alumni Association, Oregon Community Foundation Leadership Council, State Chairman of the Distinguished Young Woman Program of Oregon and currently serves as a National Support Team Member with this organization traveling the country to provide scholarships to young women in every state.

Mary has a Bachelor’s Degree in Business from Oregon State University & is a co-owner of her family’s 3rd generation insurance agency.
She is married to her husband, Craig, and they have 2 grown daughters & 2 sweet grandchildren that she spends any free time she has with.

Kelly Walther

Kelly Walther is a native Oregonian and both she and her son graduated from Sprague high school in Salem. Kelly is also a proud, third-generation Oregon State University alum. Her first OSU football game was at three weeks of age with her parents… in the student section!

Kelly Walther owns Grant Services of Oregon, Inc. G$O has won millions of dollars for clients and specializes in program and project development, identifying funding sources, budget analysis, grant writing, grant administration, strategic planning and strengthening organizational structures. G$O also coaches and mentors Boards, Executive Directors, staff and volunteers. Grant Services of Oregon, Inc. positions clients to be as attractive to funders as possible.

A lifelong volunteer, Kelly is a Keizer Rotarian and currently serves on the Board of the Oregon State Fair Foundation, the Board of the Keizer Community Foundation and the budget committee for the Keizer Fire District. She is a past president of the Keizer Chamber of Commerce, past chair of the Marion County Fair and has been responsible for a variety of community events. Kelly is a recipient of the Marion County Outstanding Volunteer award and holds a current State of Oregon teaching license.

Kathy Wilson

Kathy Wilson joined the Keizer Community Foundation board in 2019. She is a native Oregonian, having grown up in the Portland area before moving to Keizer in 1995. Kathy has a BA in Business Administration with an emphasis on accounting from Pacific University, and joined public accounting after 18 years as a corporate controller. She is a certified public accountant and Oregon licensed municipal auditor, and is a partner at Grove, Mueller and Swank, P.C. in Salem. In her role at GMS, she assists not-for-profit organizations with their accounting and auditing needs, and is impressed with the good work being done by our local not-for-profits. She believes in giving back to the community that supports you, and is proud to be part of a community that focuses on the needs of its citizens. She currently serves as treasurer of the Keizer Rotary Foundation as well as serving on the Keizer Community Foundation board. She has also served as a board member and treasurer of the United Way of the Mid-Willamette Valley, and served on the Keizer Network of Women's annual fundraising committee which raises funds for its annual Christmas giving basket program. In her free time, Kathy loves to partake in outdoor adventures including biking, hiking, kayaking and golfing, and enjoys travelling with her family

Rob Miller

I was born and raised in Keizer and was part of a family business that was founded in 1958. In 2015, I founded KARM Safety Solutions (a Keizer business) to help train and educate employees on construction safety and also help companies stay current with new industry regulations. I have served on the Keizer Chamber board as both a member and past president.

I currently serve as Vice President at the Keizer Community Foundation. I am also a board member on the Salem Contractors Exchange and Vice Chair for the American Society of Safety Professionals Santiam Chapter.

I volunteer teach ladder safety and fall protection at the Salem Keizer CTE school, and I also volunteer to perform safety training for apprenticeship workers at IEC Oregon in both Salem and Portland.

Lore Christopher

Lore Christopher has been a Keizer resident for 30+ years. She was Keizer's Mayor from 2000-2014 (14 years).

Prior to that she was a board member for many community boards including Keizer Little League, Whitaker and McNary PTO Clubs; Keizer Parks Board; Keizer Public Arts Commission; Keizer Art Association and is a founding member of the Keizer Chamber Foundation (now Keizer Community Foundation).

Lore has been a supporter of the creative community her entire adult life and has strongly supported arts within the Keizer community. As a member of the Keizer Public Art Commission and Chair of the Keizer Art Association she works closely with both to coordinate public arts projects which include two murals, 10 sculpture pieces located on River Road and the Community Story Poles located in front of the Keizer Community Center.

Her educational background includes a BA in Human Resource Management from George Fox University and a MPA from Portland State University.